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André Øvredal on Stella’s Awesome Horror Collection in ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’ [Interview]

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Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark isn’t just a scary story, it’s a scary story about people who love scary stories. Specifically, it’s about Stella, a teenaged writer played by Zoe Margaret Colletti, who is a voracious horror fan and – as we see throughout the film – has a bedroom covered in horror posters and memorabilia.

It’s a set that was very important to director André Øvredal, who was trying to keep the film – which takes place in Pennsylvania in 1968 – historically accurate. And that meant that Stella’s room couldn’t just have the same old posters everyone recognizes today.

“We wanted to choose relatively obscure titles because we wanted to show that it was not just the classic titles, the big titles that everybody knows about,” Øvredal told me. “So that we show that in that world, in that time, it was the movies that existed then. Not necessarily just the classics. So we had some obscure [ones]. As a horror fan, you would know them but a general audience will kind of smile when they see all these crazy images.”

“We had a lot of fun figuring out which posters we liked. And it came down to, at the time, that I chose what it should be in relation to her character: a balance of horror and sci-fi, and she was leaning towards horror but it’s always kind of a thing,” Øvredal adds. “There is always a connection.”

To be sure, Stella has some odd choices in her collection. We caught poster for The Indestructible Man on her wall somewhere, and that’s a pretty deep cut. (The film is probably best known today as an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.)

How many weird movies and period-accurate horror paraphernalia did YOU see in Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark?

William Bibbiani writes film criticism in Los Angeles, with bylines at The Wrap, Bloody Disgusting and IGN. He co-hosts three weekly podcasts: Critically Acclaimed (new movie reviews), The Two-Shot (double features of the best/worst movies ever made) and Canceled Too Soon (TV shows that lasted only one season or less). Member LAOFCS, former Movie Trivia Schmoedown World Champion, proud co-parent of two annoying cats.

Interviews

‘Immaculate’ Director Michael Mohan on Religious Horror and Why You Can’t Pull Punches [Halloweenies Podcast]

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Immaculate SXSW Horror

This weekend, Neon is releasing its highly anticipated new slice of horror Immaculate. Directed by Michael Mohan, Sydney Sweeney stars as an American nun named Cecilia who joins a remote convent in the Italian countryside. What begins as a warm welcome quickly devolves into a living nightmare as Cecilia discovers her new home harbors a sinister secret and unspeakable horrors. You can see it with a crowd this Friday.

In anticipation, Halloweenies co-host/executive producer Michael Roffman sits down with director Michael Mohan to discuss how he approached making his first horror film. Together, the two chat about the effects of religious horror in 2024, Sweeney’s Scream Queen magic, the ending everyone’s going to be talking about, and why Horror needs zero rules. He also offers some choice Horror recommendations.

Stream the episode below or subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS. New to the Halloweenies? Catch up with the gang by revisiting their essential episodes on past franchises such as Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Scream, The Evil Dead, and this past year’s Chucky! This year? The Alien franchise.

You can also become a member of their Patreon, The Rewind, for hilariously irreverent commentaries (e.g. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Gremlins, Jaws), one-off deep dives on your favorite rentals (e.g. Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Invasion of the Body Snatchers ), and even spinoffs like their recent run Fortune & Glory: An Indiana Jones Podcast.

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